Regency Square officials back security team

By Veronica ChapinStaff writer,

After the recent arrest of a well-known New Orleans rap singer at Regency Square mall, the shopping center's general manager said she stands behind her security team and will continue to make customer safety her main concern.

Rap star Turvis Gray, 24, known by the stage name Juvenile, and two of his associates were arrested about 5 p.m. July 23.

Gray was charged with resisting with violence and breach of peace. He was released from the Duval County jail on his own recognizance the same day.

According to Regency Square General Manager Helen Muench Ciesla, two people with Gray were approached and were asked to have Gray fix his hat and remove a bandanna he was wearing, for safety reasons.

The hat - worn to the side - and bandanna are consistent with gang-related activity, she said.

What's ironic is that Gray was never approached and was not arrested for breaking the mall's dress code, Ciesla said.

Police said Gray used profanity toward the security officers and refused to go into a security office. When the officer tried to detain him, a struggle ensued, according to a police report.

Gray could not be reached for comment. Officials with the local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union did not return phone calls.

Ciesla said security guards have written scripts they recite when approaching someone and are instructed to explain the safety precautions in a courteous manner.

''We don't tell you what to wear,'' she said. ''It is not about the clothes. It is about the safety of the individual wearing it.''

Ciesla said the mall implemented a courtesy and safety code in 1994, when youngsters wearing gang colors and associated clothing became prevalent in the mall. The code also prohibits smoking in the mall and requires patrons to wear shirts and shoes.

Because gangs are willing to fight and sometimes kill over their colors, mall and school officials throughout the country are taking precautionary measures to lower the number of gang-related incidents.

The courtesy and safety code for Regency Square is posted and widely circulated throughout the mall, Ciesla said.

Police officers respond only when requested by security guards.

''We can't enforce clothing or any type of policy like that,'' said Rick Townsend, police zone leader for Arlington. ''But if it comes to a state when it becomes a breach of peace, that is when the police step in.''

The police substation was put into the mall three years ago to reduce crime in the area.

''We operate a retail establishment, and our goal is to make it a pleasant shopping experience,'' Ciesla said. ''You don't feel very good about a breakout like this ... The key is we responded and took control of the situation as soon as possible.''